Howell was one of 10 alternates added to the field Wednesday by virtue of his standing in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has made the cut in four of eight prior Open appearances, with his best finish coming in 2011 when he tied for 28th.

No official reason was given for the decision, though Howell told GolfChannel.com Friday that he opted out for "family reasons." Howell has six top-10 finishes in 22 starts on the PGA Tour this season, highlighted by a tie for third at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in May. He is in the field this week at The Greenbrier Classic and shot a 3-under 67 in the opening round.